MIAMI  Florida right-hander Josh Beckett wonders
what all the fuss is about. He hears his name mentioned as an early favorite
to win the NL Rookie of the Year award, but he wonders why since he hasn't won
a game yet this season.

Of course, the Texas tornado is admittedly his own harshest
critic. He might have a 2.63 ERA since his September debut, but Beckett is nowhere
near satisfied.

"I expect perfection every time out," says the baby-faced
21-year-old from Spring, Texas. "You can never get too content. I know that
that there is a guy in Triple-A who is ready to come up and take my spot."

Of course, Beckett doesn't have to look over his shoulder
just yet. This year's first victory may still be eluding him, but Beckett has
a lot to be proud of after his first April as a major leaguer.

Beckett carried a 3.52 ERA and had allowed foes just a
.239 batting average. His two losses were to Curt Schilling and Greg Maddux.

But the future Hall of Famers weren't even Beckett's biggest
foes last month. A nagging blister landed Beckett on the 15-day disabled list
May 1.

Beckett, who has battled the problem throughout his brief
career, developed a blister underneath the nail of his right middle finger during
his first start. It affected him throughout the month.

Then, just as that blister began to heal, another surfaced
during his start April 28 against Arizona, limiting Beckett to just four of
his trademark 12-to-6 curveballs.

The outing turned into Beckett's worst as a big-leaguer,
after the Diamondbacks punished him with back-to-back-to-back home runs in one
nine-pitch, sixth-inning sequence.

Beckett tried applying pickle brine and super glue to the
finger, but by midweek, the blister had grown to the size of a button.

"It's just something we're going to have to deal with on
a day-to-day basis until it completely goes away," Beckett says.

"Coming out of high school, I thought injuries wouldn't
happen to me," Beckett says. "I did the exercises and drills, but it was more
for show. Now, exercises are my life. I'm in a routine, preparing every day
for that fifth day when I pitch."

After missing half a season with shoulder tendinitis in
2000, Beckett came back to strike out 203 in 140 minor league innings, followed
by a strong September call-up. Beckett has been thriving ever since, dazzling
hitters with his 97-mph fastball, nasty curve and plus changeup.

"This kid is special," Marlins pitching coach Brad Arnsberg
says. "He's a 21-year-old kid with a 30-year-old's mind-set. His demeanor on
the mound, his presence and ability to make adjustments are that of a veteran
pitcher."

Arnsberg also admires Beckett's notorious swagger. Expecting
his 6-4, 190-pound fireballer to be nervous before his 2002 debut, Arnsberg
took Beckett aside and wished him luck.

Beckett fired back coolly, "I don't need luck."

"I kind of liked that," Arnsberg says. "He's saying to
me that God has gifted him with this ability to throw a baseball, and he knows
what he's got to do. There's no luck involved."

Confidence is part of the game, Beckett says.

"Why would I not want to be confident? How am I supposed
to act?" he asks. "People always say that (I'm cocky), but it doesn't bother
me. I know I'm the most laid-back guy you'll ever meet in your life."

Neither does the weight of expectations drag him down.

"When all the major publications name you the No. 1 prospect
in baseball, well, it takes really big shoulders to carry the load," Florida
manager Jeff Torborg says. "He and I have sat and talked about stuff like that,
and I know that it just doesn't bother him.

"For a young kid, he's extremely precocious from a standpoint
of being a professional pitcher. He really knows what he's doing."

Time will tell if Beckett follows the lead of another young
flamethrowing Texan, Kerry Wood, who won the NL Rookie of the Year award in
1998 at the age of 21.

"No doubt, he's worth the hype," catcher Charles Johnson
says. "He can throw any pitch, any time, and you very rarely see that with young
guys. I've never really had a pitcher that young that had the kind of fastball,
curveball and changeup that he has. That's why I believe his future is unlimited."